Sabato paying attention

Diane Sabato A Crash Course in Creativity

Insights and Hidden Opportunities That I

Found While I was Paying Attention:

General Aha Moments:

Watch the course videos first.

I am a sucker for a bargain. Time spent on assignment =

4 hours, money spent on assignment = $50

Things I saw that I had missed before:

The facility and display maintenance varied widely from

store to store. The discount department stores were

not well maintained, for example dirty floors, broken

fixtures, sloppy displays, broken hangers. The specialty

retailers and boutique were clean and very well

maintained, which enhanced the image of the store.

Most customers in the clothing stores had someone

with them to provide opinions and feedback and/or to

enhance the social aspect of shopping.

Biggest Surprises:

I thought that the Semolina Bread Company was a bakery selling baked

goods and it’s a deli restaurant. There was not a loaf of bread to be had.

In francesca’s boutique the two salespeople were deep in a conversation

and ignored all of the customers in the store for the entire time I was

there.


The entry doors at Marshall’s had to be opened

manually and were hard to open. I watched an older

woman struggle to get into the store with a shopping

cart. She had to wait for another customer to assist

her.

On the way out, the obvious anti-theft barriers made

me feel like a potential criminal (same at Burlington

Coat Factory).

The patio and entry for Semolina Bread Company

should have been inviting, but was poorly lit and the

interior was also poorly lit, so it didn’t look open

I was surprised how such a simple thing as open front

doors could make me feel so welcomed and draw me

in. Ann Taylor had both of its outside doors wide


open, screaming come on in! Not to mention the well placed 60% off sign…

Francesca’s had really engaging windows, but

the closed doors and merchandise table too

close to the entry made me hesitant to enter.


The entry to Stop and Shop usually has a lot of plants that make the entry

feel more welcoming, but we were preparing for Hurricane Sandy and

everything was taken inside.

The entry to Burlington Coat Factory was a similar unwelcoming design to

Marshalls but did have automatic doors. Burlington Coat Factory actually

herds people through the checkout line, with stanchions and display

cases loaded with unmarked/untagged merchandise. I was surprised

by how depersonalizing and dehumanizing that is.

I was surprised at my change in view and perception when I paid

attention to my feeling and my experience in each store, rather than

paying attention to the merchandise.

Opportunities Hidden in Plain Sight:

I think there is a tremendous opportunity and market for “store stagers”, much like “home stagers” who could focus on the customer

experience, rather than on merchandise display. Imagine what you need to do to give your home curb appeal when you sell it and use the same

theories in store staging. I think the focus is often on displaying merchandise, when the focus should be on building the long term relationship

with the customer by giving them a positive shopping experience. There are a lot of little things that can be done to make the store feel like a

higher end store and make the customer feel more valued, such as:

Maintain the physical plant and display structures.

Get rid of clutter, it’s tiring.


Open the doors and welcome customers. Like Tom Kelly, look at the entry like a traveler, then move in and do the same inside.

Mix the lighting with natural light wherever possible, old style industrial fluorescent lighting and high industrial ceilings feel cold and

impersonal.

Use a theme or themes when organizing merchandise

Pay attention to your branding.

Greet customers

Train staff – I was impressed by a few of the salespeople I interacted with by their cheerful and helpful attitude. That should be the rule

in retail rather than the exception.

Lower ceilings to make them feel warmer, but no so low you feel crowded. It will save energy too…

Put plants around the entryway and if appropriate in the stores.

Be discreet in placement of anti-theft devices.


Here’s my observation data:

Observation Lab Marshalls Stop n Shop Ann Taylor Francesca’s Collections

Semolina Bread Company

Burlington Coat Factory

Type of Store Discount name brand clothing

and accessories Groceries

Women’s Clothing Specialty

Retailer

Women’s Clothing and Accessories

Boutique

Deli Discount

Department Store

Before you enter the store:

Does the store draw you in? If so, how?

No, poorly designed entry

No Yes, open door, great windows

Yes, great window displays

No, poorly lit, outside tables poorly laid out

No

Is the door open or closed? Closed Closed Open Closed Closed Closed

How does this make you feel? Ordinary Ordinary Welcomed Not special Unwelcome Ordinary

How big is the sign lettering and in what font?

Sentence case Sentence case All caps Lower case Sentence case Sentence case

What does it tell you about the store?

Not sure Not sure Not sure Not sure Not sure Not sure

Before you enter the store:

Environment:

What is the color scheme of the store? How does this

affect you? Blue and white

Yellow, purple, green and red

Black and white Black and taupe Green, maroon

and white Red and white

What type of floor does the store have? How does this effect the environment?

linoleum linoleum Wood wood tile linoleum

How high is the ceiling? How does this feel?

30’ approx, cold & industrial

30’ approx, cold & industrial

15-20’ Dry wall and wood

beams, feels rich

15-20’, warmer 15-20’, warmer 30’ approx, cold

& industrial


How brightly lit is the store? How does this affect you?

Fluorescent, brightly lit, feels

cold

Alternating, Fluorescents,

too dim

Mixed lighting, felt like real

daylight,

Lower lighting, not even

Low “atmosphere” lighting, felt

inappropriate

Fluorescent, brightly lit, feels

cold




How loud is the environment? Relatively loud,

busy time in store

Quiet for a grocery store

Quiet and calm Quiet Very quiet Quiet, but not a

busy time

What is causing the noise? People and

music

Quiet background

noise

Low ambience music

Background music

Background music and

kitchen noise

Customers and staff,

announcements

Is there music playing? If so, does it fit the environment?

Yes Yes Yes Yes

Is the store warm or cold? Warm Warm Warm Warm Warm warm

Is the store crowed with merchandise or is it sparse?

crowded crowded Sparse Crowded Sparse Crowded

Does the store have a distinctive smell?

No Mixed food

smells New clothes

smell No Bread no

Where is the cash register located?

Right up front Front of store Left side, middle

Right side, middle

Back of store Front of store

How visible is the store security?

Security system right up front

Invisible Invisible Invisible invisible Security system

right up front

How long do you want to stay in this store?

Hours Just long

enough to buy groceries

Long enough to look through

every rack Not long

Long enough to eat…

Less than an hour

Does the environment influence the perceived value

of the merchandise? Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes

Personnel:


How long does it take before a sales person initiates

contact?

When I went to dressing room

No contact (used

automated checkout)

Immediate contact

No contact Immediate

contact Checkout




Does the salesperson have a script to follow with each

customer? No No No No No No

Does the salesperson treat different customers

differently? Hard to tell N/A

Didn’t seem that way

Yes No No

What is the ratio of salespeople to customers?

Few to many Few to many 2 to 2 2 to 6 2 to 3 Few to many

What age and gender are the employees?

Mixed age, and gender

Mixed age and gender

Middle aged females

20’s and 30’s females

Young male and female

Mixed age and gender

Are the salespeople using the store products?

Yes Probably yes yes Don’t know yes

Do the salespeople have a uniform?

No Yes No No Yes No

Do the salespeople match the stores image?

Yes Yes Yes

Yes, though one may have been a bit older than

the store’s target market

Yes

Yes

Products:

What is the first product that you notice?

Halloween costumes

Cookie display in entry

Table of new clothes in front

Jewelry in front Cold cuts Gourmet food packages and

jewelry

Is there a central display table with featured products?

There are central racks,

not tables No Yes Yes No Central racks





Where are items that are “for sale” located in the store?

Sale racks mixed into various

depts..

Tucked into back hallway and end of

aisles

Back left of store near

dressing rooms Back of store

Specials listed on board

Sale racks mixed into various

depts..

How are the products arranged? By function? By

price? By color?

Gender, age, type of product,

size Type of product

Style collections,

then size

Type of product and size where

appropriate Flavor

Gender, type of product, size

Are there free samples or demonstrations?

No Yes No No No No

What products are at eye level?

Shoes, bags, accessories and

homegoods ,Name brands

Style Displays & mannequins

Jewelry and purses

none Various products

in every dept.

What items in the store are in the least accessible locations?

Where are the most and least expensive products located?

Most expensive up front, least

mixed throughout

Most expensive eye level,

generic mixed throughout

Newest, front and center, sale

at back

Most expensive up front and least at back.

N/A Both mixed

through store

Are the prices of the products easy to find?

Yes Yes Yes, but

discreetly placed

Yes Yes, pricing

board clearly displayed

Yes

Are there impulse items near the cash register?

yes yes no yes yes yes

Customers:

Are most customers alone or with someone else? What is

the relationship? With someone Both Alone With someone With someone With someone

What is the average age and gender of the customers?

Very mixed 21+ females 40+ females 20-40 females Young adult

mixed gender Mixed ages and

genders


When a customer enters the store, do they tend to walk in the same path or direction? -

No Yes No No Yes No

How long do customers stay in the store, on average?

? ? ? ? ? ?

Do customer touch the products? Is this encouraged?

Yes/Yes Yes/not really Yes/Yes Yes/Yes No/No Yes/Yes

Do most customers appear to be on a mission or are they

browsing? Browsing On a mission Browsing Browsing On a mission Browsing

What percent of customers purchase products in the

store? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Other Observations:

Documents

Sabato paying attention